Casualties
by infy
Summary: Wei Yan has momentarily strayed from Zhuge Liang's plans, but his decisions could prove disastrous to Shu's campaign.


He fought on, breath heavy.

Swinging his polearm in all directions, he fought on.

For Zhuge Liang... no, for the memory of Liu Bei, for benevolence, he fought on.

On the battlefield, he felt most at peace. Strange as it would probably seem to anyone who he could attempt to explain it to, but his thoughts were corralled into his head like wild mustangs finally being brought to the stables when he had that voulge in his hand cutting down the enemy ranks. All that mattered to Wei Yan now was proving himself. He had never had a one-track mind. More like a thirty-seven track mind... at least it was thirty-seven the last time he counted. He was entirely unable to keep focus until he spun and thrashed his way through countless enemy soldiers; only until he felt the sensation of blood spraying all over the mask he wore to hide his true face, did he truly feel at one with himself.

Heaven forbid he'd ever take that mask off for anyone.

Letting out a fierce war cry, he gave one final push; the Wei troops to him were nothing more than terracotta dolls beneath his boots. He spun back, his polearm thrashing behind him, cutting down three or so men at once. The chaos died down slightly, and he heard the voices of his allies echoing across the plains; Ma Dai's lighthearted "Yahoo!" as he and his cousin led the cavalry charge and a loud shout as they passed him-Wei Yan thought he said something to the effect of "Way to go, buddy!" It brought a small smile to his lips-and after he cleared his immediate area, a glance behind him revealed the burning, yet cold, calculating gaze of Zhuge Liang. He waved his fan forward once and called out an order, but Wei Yan didn't catch it over the pounding of horse hooves as his allies charged forward.

He narrowed his eyes, attempting to read the Sleeping Dragon's face. It was blank, a contented but empty smile the only thing he could make out. Of course, Wei Yan knew he was ill, but truly he could afford to be more forthcoming with his plans? In fact, wouldn't it make more sense if he was? He didn't have long left. The least he could do was give an order to him. He had simply been cutting a path for the cavalry the entire battle. Wei Yan's face hardened, and he found himself baring his teeth in an animal-like snarl aimed in Zhuge Liang's general direction. Surely he knew there was something going on! Surely, surely he knew that the great Sima Yi would have a plan beyond a simple charge! The thought that his unit was simply left there with no clue of what to do while Zhuge Liang sat there and watched with that countenance of his was infuriating. Damn that man.

Damn him.

He could do what he wanted with Wei Yan after this. He didn't care. If the Sleeping Dragon wanted to sleep through the battle, then that wasn't his problem. Strategy! War was fought by men! How could you keep your silly strategy a secret from the men actually doing the fighting? Wei Yan had no idea what he was thinking, nor did he care. If Zhuge Liang wasn't going to tell him, he would find out for himself. He led his own march, setting out on foot behind the cavalry at full-speed.

Zhuge Liang blinked slowly, taking a long breath as he observed. His wife's eyes darted from the cavalry to Wei Yan's foot troops.

"My lord," Yueying muttered, her eyes wide. "It's him."

Zhuge Liang simply glanced over at her, a knowing glint flashing in his eyes that belied his hollow smile. "Oh?"

"He's falling out of formation. He'll ruin our entire strategy...!" Yueying crouched down on one knee to get a better look, her voice growing more and more panicked as she leaned in closer.

"My dear," he finally breathed, not meeting her eyes and instead staring out with an eerie calmness onto the battlefield, almost as if he saw this coming in the first place. "If you don't feed the animal when he begs, he will instead go on the hunt for his own sustenance."

"My lord...?"

"Jiang Wei." With a slight turn of the older man's head, the youth behind him immediately perked up, his eyes bright.

"Prime minister...?"

Zhuge Liang's eyelids fluttered shut softly. "Follow him."

The messenger's footsteps quickly came to a halt as he dropped to his knees before the blue-clad strategist. The man perked up an eyebrow as the messenger bowed before him. "Get on with it," he spat. "I've matters to take care of."

"Lord Sima Yi, I bring news. The feral general has strayed from Zhuge Liang's formation!"

Sima Yi narrowed his eyes, attempting to process the information he was just given. "Has he, now..." He glanced out from his post, scanning the landscape for abnormalities. After a moment he quirked his lips in a devilish smirk. "This will prove to be something of note, I'm sure." He turned on his heel, his hands folded behind his back. "Ziyuan," he glanced over at the dark-haired younger man who was preparing a sword.

"Father." Sima Shi responded, standing straight, his eyes locking onto Sima Yi's.

"New developments have caused me to rethink my strategy."

Shi nodded curtly. "And...?"

A devilish chuckle creeped from Yi's throat, slowly giving way to a full-blown laugh. "Things have begun to get interesting. One of Shu's generals has as good as defected."

"Defected..." Shi repeated. "So, what, do we accept him into our ranks...? Just like that...?"

Yi ran his fingers along a crudely drawn map of the area. "Don't jump to conclusions, Ziyuan." A smirk snaked across his face, devious enough to send a chill down the spine of anyone who dared to look him straight in the eye. "I feel as though... our army should be rather exclusive. Not just anybody should be able to waltz in. Besides, if we don't take him in... I'm sure Zhuge Liang will take good care of him." A soft laugh passed his lips.

Wei Yan paused his advance, crouching low and sniffing the air and letting out a low growl. Something wasn't right. The soldiers that were so proactive in their pursuit of him now had begun to simply run right by both him and what little of his troops remained. Nobody stopped to give him a second look. He scanned the battlefield; his unit was the only one present-now that he thought about it, he was an easy target-so why were the Wei troops not taking the advantage and attacking? He was sure there was some form of strategy behind it, now all that remained was finding out what it was. Wei Yan searched the depths of his mind in an attempt to do so. The rustle of a bush behind him caught his attention, and his head thrashed in either direction, looking both directions for the source of the sound. Ambush troops...? He prepared his voulge, standing defensively and steeling himself for an ambush.

The rustling ceased for a time, and soon the area was quiet, almost eerily so. His eyes widened, breath caught in his chest. Nobody was there. Not even the sound of anything beyond his own breathing and the breathing of his troops reached his ears. Yes, there was certainly something wrong here. His eyes darted to either side of the area near the encampment, scanning for any signs of life. He had marched directly into enemy territory, and not even a commander was found. It was as if they had abandoned the camp entirely-

"Ah, Wei Yan." A deep voice sounded from behind him, and Wei Yan whirled around with a surprised grunt, his polearm drawn. Sima Shi stood before him, his arms folded behind him, two soldiers poised with spears flanking him on either side. "I expected you. You may withdraw your weapon. I trust your allegiance."

Wei Yan's eyes widened. "...Allegiance...?" he muttered. He swore no allegiance to Sima Shi, at least as far as he could recall. Did he say something on accident...? He was always so careful with his words. Maybe he said something while he was sleeping...? His thoughts raced, and no words would come to him. He wanted to run him through right there, but his feet were glued to the ground. Once again, his thoughts took over.

How could he think he wanted to defect? He had always been part of Shu, part of lord Liu Bei's dream! Even after he had passed, Wei Yan took it upon himself to build his land of benevolence for him out of devotion. Only for him. That was where his loyalties had always been.

"Yes, my friend. We will gladly accept your help." Shi smiled slightly, walking past him and yet never turning his back.

No...! No, he couldn't... he didn't want to...! He had no intention of... not ever...! "I...!" How could Shi even think that he was anything but loyal? The thought that would usually make him angry only scared him. If he had said something... he had to go back and tell Zhuge Liang. He had to know what he had observed. As much as it pained him to submit to the Sleeping Dragon's authority, he had to tell him to save not only himself but the entire battle. His feet finally moved him, and he tore past Shi, not looking back, heading for the main camp, and for Zhuge Liang.

Shi didn't move as he rushed by-he only chuckled wickedly, nodding once. "Perfect."

The bush from before rustled again, and Shi smirked again as he noticed Jiang Wei rushing in a panic back in the same direction.

He tripped slightly before making it back-surely he had beaten the larger general there, after all, Wei Yan had to cut through the battlefield while Jiang Wei instead used the shortcut he had plotted on the map beforehand. Silently praying he would come back to find Yueying and Zhuge Liang alive, his legs propelled him as fast as they would allow before he arrived at the main camp (_ah, thank the gods, I made it..._) and collapsed into a kneel at the feet of Zhuge Liang, who was giving orders to the recently returned Ma Dai. "My... my lord... Prime Minister...!" Jiang Wei exclaimed, his words dying in his heavy breath. He swallowed once, but his throat was dry and he erupted into a coughing fit.

Ma Dai cocked his head to the side. "Hey, calm down, okay? Just collect yourself."

Jiang Wei's chest heaved. He took a brief moment to catch his breath before loudly stammering, "W-Wei Yan has defected...!"

Ma Dai's eyes widened and he took a step back. Wei Yan...? No, it couldn't be. "That can't be right..." he muttered. "Are you sure...?"

"He was talking with Sima Shi...! And Shi said something about accepting his allegiance, and he's headed this way to claim the head of the Prime Minister."

Zhuge Liang sat in silence, observing as Ma Dai's shaking hands gripped the young strategist's shoulders. "I'm going to ask you again. Are you sure...?" At a nod from Jiang Wei, the painter turned to face his lord, who as per usual wore an unreadable expression.

"I assumed it was only a matter of time." Zhuge Liang's expression failed to soften, and he once again stared out at the battlefield, taking small, almost ghostlike steps to the edge of the outlook post. "Ma Dai..." Zhuge Liang glanced over at him. "You came for orders, didn't you...?"

The painter's face hardened. "Yes, but..." he trailed off. A cool breeze blew through the camp, and Ma Dai looked up. A storm was brewing, and in the midst of the black, saturated sky, a weak flash of light passed wordlessly between two clouds. Ma Dai swallowed, trying to push his thoughts away-he had for as long as he could remember been terrified of the memories the thunder and lightning forced upon him-now wasn't the time for that. He stood, bowing his head and shutting his eyes slightly, almost just as afraid of what Zhuge Liang would order him to do. He steeled himself. Orders were orders, no matter what they were, and he had always trusted the Sleeping Dragon's judgment. "What are your orders, my lord?"

"I know you and Wei Yan are close."

Dai couldn't help but smile at the thought of his friend and all the laughs they had shared together. He had almost wished Zhuge Liang would have given him a chance. Yan was a sweet guy... a lot kinder than he looked. Fiercely loyal too. So then, how could he...

"...Wenchang and I..." he finally spoke, under his breath. Could it be that he had finally snapped...? He knew that Wei Yan and Zhuge Liang had their issues and disagreements, but he knew also that Wei Yan would never betray Liu Bei's vision, at least as far as Ma Dai knew. He was sure there were wheels turning in that head of Wenchang's. He scratched the back of his neck with an absentminded sigh. We all have our breaking points. "Yes, we are," he finally muttered in response. ..._Or we were. I don't know what to think anymore._

He let out a forlorn-sounding laugh. _Maybe this is what heartbreak is like._

He had certainly experienced the feeling before, and he had certainly experienced worse, but this hit him more than he thought it would. A wave of disappointment, of grief, of horror, of what almost felt like _anger_... it all flashed through him at once, a mix of of feelings at the situation. That, paired with the anticipation and terror he felt at what his lord's next order would be, threatened to bring him to his knees.

Finally the order came, and Ma Dai's breath caught in his throat.

"In that case, I entrust his care to you."

Yueying's face averted away from her husband, and she clenched her bo staff tightly in her left hand; Jiang Wei shut his eyes, bowing in respect. Ma Dai could tell they were all hurt by the situation as it was (he wasn't even aware that they had remotely liked his friend. Surprises always seemed to happen in the strangest of places) but Zhuge Liang's face remained still in its quiet stoicism.

Ma Dai's kingdom for the power to read his lord.

He swallowed thickly, taking a breath before addressing Zhuge Liang. "His care..." he repeated, forcing his breath past the lump in his throat. "You're referring to-"

"Yes, Ma Dai," the Sleeping Dragon responded rather quickly, taking Dai by surprise.

He forced the words to sputter from his mouth. "Why me...?" He couldn't hide the pain in his voice, as much as he tried to mask it. Another flash of lightning, and Dai cringed, but willed his fear to the back of his mind.

Zhuge Liang's smile left him, his face growing blank, and he turned his head slowly to face Dai. "Do you distrust my judgment, my friend...?"

Dai took a step back for a moment, clutching the brush in his hand. Far be it for his lord to ever steer him wrong. He had to agree, no matter whether he believed the Dragon's young prodigy had witnessed Wenchang's defection or simply a misunderstanding. For now, he had to trust his lord. Mounting his horse and readying his brush, he nodded once, too numb to speak, before setting off in Wei Yan's direction.

Yueying finally drummed up the courage to speak. "My lord..." she murmured. "Ma Dai is his best friend. Do you truly believe it was the right thing to send him...?"

Zhuge Liang's smile returned, and he placed a hand his wife's shoulder. It shivered even as it rested on the bare skin, almost feeling feeble to the touch. She covered it with her own delicate touch, to try and ease him at least somewhat. He bore a heavy burden. "Yes, my dear," he breathed, his voice even, even as his sickly body trembled in weakness. "Wei Yan fears loneliness more than anything else. Ma Dai, even as he slays him, will stay by his side so that he will not die alone. That is something only Ma Dai has the strength and resolve to do. Yueying," he met her eyes, and she furrowed her brow. Zhuge Liang took a breath, and gave a long exhale through his nose before continuing. "I may disapprove of some of Wei Yan's actions... but, my dear, I am no monster."

Wei Yan halted his advance a few yards from the path to the main Shu camp. Zhuge Liang had to still be there. He cast a glance behind him, and the silhouettes of foot soldiers came into view with another flash of lightning, and a loud crash. He ignored the sting of the steadily falling rain on his bare arms and narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the color of their armor. Shu soldiers. His eyes widened, his shaky hands gripping his polearm, and he took a step backward. "N-no..." he grunted softly. _Don't make me fight my own men._ They crowded around him like shadows, some crying traitor, some simply jabbing at him with their spears as if he were a caged animal. "Stop... it...!"

He swatted away their weapons one by one, his hands and arms slicing open and bleeding profusely, and tried to make a break for the path. He had to speak to Zhuge Liang, to warn him of the Wei army's plan to throw their troops into disarray. Desperately he searched his mind for what few words could express his urgency. "I... need... Zhuge Liang...!"

"I knew it! He's on his way to assassinate the Prime Minister...!" a soldier shouted.

"Stop him!" cried another.

"He'll never get away!"

Wei Yan's teeth gritted as a spear went into his side, and he thrashed about to remove it. "No...!" he pleaded. "Believe... me...!" His cries fell on deaf ears as countless Shu soldiers swarmed the man, stabbing and prodding him with spears and staffs and swords. "Please...!" he pleaded again, refusing to fight back. His polearm was clutched in both hands, but he refused to use it. A second spear thrust into him, and he let out a roar of pain, instinctively swinging his voulge upward. He felt a connection, and he glanced to the head of his weapon just as a spray of blood spattered his mask, his hands, the ground, as the lifeless soldier fell.

Wei Yan paused for a moment, taking a step back, his breath hitching. He knew that man. He had seen him around camp and heard him speak to Ma Dai. He had a wife, pregnant with the second of two daughters, and he loved Yueying's cooking. Sometimes, he had said, his wife would get jealous that he liked her cooking better than his own wife's. Wei Yan found him charming, endearing. And now Wei Yan found him dead with a massive slash in his throat. He gasped for a moment with wide eyes, trembling hands gripping his weapon tighter as the mob of soldiers advanced closer in on him. "I... didn't...mean... to..." he began, his voice breaking and trailing off as if he knew it was no use to even try.

"Traitor!" the soldiers called, raising their spears and swords. He blocked them as best he could, suffering gashes and wounds. How could they do this?! How could they not listen? This was all Zhuge Liang's fault! He had brainwashed them all into believing he was capable of defecting, of turning his back on his loyalties, his family that had given him so much. With an enraged roar and tear-filled eyes, he swung his voulge, knocking back as many men as he could. "You... hurting... me...!"

"I... say... stop...!" he cried, swung again, bloodying his hands a third time. The onslaught of soldiers kept coming; all of Zhuge Liang's men had him surrounded, and out of self-defense, Wenchang cut them all down. He thrashed and stumbled about, attempting to clear a path for himself so that he could reach Zhuge Liang, convincing himself that it was still a misunderstanding. _I want to serve Liu Bei. I want to help build a land of benevolence. For his dream. That's all I've ever wanted._

Certainly there were more guards and reinforcements in the main camp, but Wei Yan didn't care. He had to get to Zhuge Liang, to tell him what he had seen, what the younger Sima had told him. It didn't matter what ideals they did or didn't share. For now, they were allies if only because they shared a common goal, and Wei Yan knew the importance of loyalty to the cause as much as anyone else.

Hands trembling in rage, he stumbled away from the mob and backpedaled toward the path to the main camp. The sound of hoofbeats caught him off-guard, and he tripped over his feet, landing on his rear end just as a large horse skidded to a halt in front of him. A pair of black boots hit the ground, splashing into a puddle in a dismount-he couldn't raise his head to see who they belonged to-and Wei Yan struggled to his feet, clutching a massive bleeding gash at his side. His chest heaved as he tried to gasp for air; his only breaths were loud, heavy groans and sighs. Digging his polearm into the wet ground, he forced his head up with gritted teeth at the man who stood only a few yards away from him.

Luoyi. Ma Dai. Dai raised his hand, halting the advance of the soldiers that remained, placing his trust enough in Wei Yan to turn to face the hordes of soldiers. "Orders from the Prime Minister! All forces, charge the main camp! I'll take care of this matter!" He turned to face Wenchang on the ground as the soldiers dissipated, his brush tightly gripped in his hand. A cacophonous silence passed between them, one that Wei Yan desperately wished Dai would break. _Just say something..._

"Wenchang..." Dai finally murmured, failing to meet the injured general's eyes. Instead his eyes rested on the bodies of countless slaughtered soldiers of Shu, the wound patterns on their bodies looking to have been caused by a double-bladed weapon.

A voulge. Wei Yan's head drooped, too physically and emotionally exhausted even to keep it up.

Dai jerked his head back to stare at Wei Yan, who was nearly to the point of collapse. Dai's eyes narrowed, blinking out tears. So it was true. He didn't want to believe it, but the evidence was there, as was Wenchang's voulge, dripping with blood and rainwater. A horrid mix of rage and devastation, the sting of betrayal, brewed in the pit of the painter's belly, a feeling he had only felt a few times before. "Wenchang..." he repeated, his words only barely choking out. "What did you..."

Wei Yan's thoughts reeled, but no words emerged from him. Perhaps it was that he was too exhausted to think of them, let alone express them, perhaps it was that he simply didn't have the words. To anyone who didn't realize what had happened, Wei Yan was a traitor. The blood of his own men sullied his hands. He held them out in front of him, head drooping to stare at them. They looked like such good, strong hands. Suddenly with the addition of the blood, they seemed to Wei Yan as the hands of a failure. A coward. Thoughts of Liu Bei's face, the faces of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, invaded his mind, and he thought of how horrified they would be that someone who had professed his undying loyalty could do such a thing. This wasn't benevolence. This wasn't virtue.

This was betrayal, these were lies, and he was alone.

He balled his hands into fists, thrashed his head from side to side, unsure what to do or say beyond let out a loud, grief-stricken wail, clutching his masked head in his hands. Words were beyond him now. There was nothing he could do or say to make up for what he was. Even though it was unintentional, even though he had every intention of remaining as loyal as he possibly could, he was a traitor, plain and simple. Liu Bei would be ashamed. Ma Dai would be ashamed. He forced his head up once again, pathetic whimpering grunts escaping his lips, to stare at Dai, to try and read his expression. He finally forced out a breath. "L-Luoyi..." he stammered, a combination of hitched breath and pain from his wounds forcing him to stop speaking. _I didn't mean to, _he wanted to say. _It's a trap, a ruse...! Please, please believe me!_

Ma Dai's eyes returned to Wei Yan, clouded over with anger. "What did you do?!" he cried, brandishing his brush. Wei Yan remained silent, his head drooping again as he forced himself to stand. He regained his stance, his legs weak, and his exhales escaping his body in shaky groans. "What is this?!" Ma Dai's eyes narrowed, his lip raised into a vicious snarl as he tore into his former friend.

Even Dai had lost his faith in Wei Yan, and the newfound loneliness was something Wei Yan refused to accept.

"Speak to me! Tell me what you're thinking!" Dai prodded, his brush ready for the attack.

"I... want... Zhuge..."

"You want the Prime Minister?!" His voice was breaking; falling rain mixed in a horrid wet muddle with sweat and the tears now streaming down his face. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He trusted Wenchang, put every last bit of his faith into the assumption that he would remain loyal. The answer to Liu Bei's death was never rebellion, and he'd entertained that fear, but much like every other fear and anxiety he had, he told himself it would never happen, pushed it to the back of his mind in favor of more concrete facts. But here the facts were, in the form of the dead bodies of his comrades, and their blood staining Wei Yan's weapon. The reality of it hit him in the chest with the force of an entire cavalry charge. The pain of misplaced trust was unlike any he had felt before. He shook that aside though. The Prime Minister had to be protected.

Wenchang steeled himself. There was nothing he could do, nothing he could say to convince Ma Dai of his intentions. There was simply no other option than to run, to reach Zhuge Liang in time to save himself. Other Shu officers were leading the charge in the formation that Zhuge Liang had proposed; the battle would certainly be either won or fought without any surprises. Now all there remained was to ensure he could keep himself alive to see the land of benevolence he and Liu Bei had dreamed of. He quickly threw his voulge to the side, forced his legs to start moving as he broke into a sprint toward the main camp, as fast as he could possibly run. Taken aback at first, Dai gritted his teeth, immediately setting out after him. Their legs both pumped them as fast as they could possibly go, but Wei Yan's injuries slowed him down. He was losing blood fast.

"I won't let you go near him...!"

Suddenly a massive blow to the back of his head sent him crashing to the ground. He lay there, too exhausted to move, as Ma Dai loomed over him, his brush still vibrating from the impact. Wei Yan forced himself to roll over just in time to see Ma Dai pull a dagger from a hidden sheath in his clothes and crouch over him. His eyes widened, welling up with tears. He knew at that moment he had lost all his chances, but he didn't care-perhaps it was from the throbbing, dull ache in his head, perhaps it was from the blood loss. It didn't matter now. It was all over.

_Lord Liu Bei... Lord Zhuge Liang... Luoyi.. I'm so sorry. I've failed you._

The dagger wasn't even needed, Ma Dai realized. His eyes met with his friend's one final time. He had always heard that eyes were the window to the soul. "W-Wenchang..." he stammered as he observed Wei Yan's usual gentle expression. They both knew it was the end. Wei Yan had forced himself to give up. The pain in the dying man's tear-filled eyes overwhelmed Ma Dai, and a crash of thunder caused him to shrink slightly, a small whimper crawling from his throat. He had his fears that it was a misunderstanding. The expression in Wei Yan's eyes may as well have confirmed it.

"Don't... be... scared..." Wei Yan muttered, his body tensing, attempting to hold on for only a few final moments to get the words he needed out.

Dai gritted his teeth. "What happened...?" he asked again, his voice calm, almost tender, gentle. "What did you do...?"

"Sima Yi... trick you... pretend... I... traitor..."

"It was a trick by Sima Yi...? Then why..."

"They... hurt me..." Wei Yan whimpered, his voice cracking and breaking, and he took a trembling breath to try and keep himself from bursting into tears. "I... not... mean... to... accident..."

Ma Dai shut his eyes, blinking away the tears. Wei Yan's face twitched as the raindrops hit it one by one, and Dai immediately slid his hat from atop his head, his messy hair sticking to his face, and held it over Wei Yan's head like an umbrella. "Wei Yan... Wenchang, forgive me. Forgive all of us." Ma Dai exhaled, his voice shaking in soft cries that forced themselves from his chest.

"I... f-fail...Liu Bei..."

"Stop it." Dai's fists clenched around the dagger he still held in his hand.

"Traitor... kill... own... men..."

"Stop it...!" He pleaded again, slamming the dagger down into the wet earth. Another clap of thunder, and Dai tensed, shutting his eyes and wincing.

Wei Yan blinked once, his face softening. "Ma Dai... not... mad... at... me...?"

Dai wiped his eyes on his sleeve. He _was_ mad. He was furious. This resulted in the end of countless men, the end of one of his greatest allies and valued friends. But the logical part of him had to acknowledge the tragedy of it all. It wasn't his fault. It was Ma Dai's. It was Sima Yi's. It might even have been Zhuge Liang's. But it was in the least part Wenchang's. The artist forced a smile and a desperate laugh. All Wei Yan needed now was to know that he wasn't alone. "N-no, of course not, buddy. I could never be angry with you."

Wei Yan coughed slightly in response, blood launching from his lungs and spattering onto his chest, onto Ma Dai's hat. He attempted to catch his breath, but it came in painful-sounding wheezes. Dai furrowed his brow, parting his lips slightly in an attempt to say something, but Wei Yan beat him to it. "Then... I... happy..." he muttered, the final words trailing off as he exhaled, his eyes fluttering shut.

Luoyi shut his eyes tightly, his shoulders heaving in poorly hidden sobs as Wenchang's body went limp beneath him.

_Wait for me up there, Wenchang. I'll come back someday to make sure you're not lonely._


End file.
